CHAPTER 3

Getting Started

In This Chapter

What choices you should keep in mind when starting out

What the characteristics of various fishing waters are

How to access fishing spots

In this chapter, you’ll learn four important choices an angler makes before heading out to fish, and you’ll learn about places to fish and how to access those fishing places.

Important Choices

Prior to actually fishing, an angler must decide how he is going to access the water, where he will fish, what species he will target, and what technique he will employ. These choices are interrelated, constantly changing, and ever evolving during an angler’s lifetime. If you consider there are four basic ways to access the water, countless places to fish, dozens of species to pursue, and seven or so standard fishing techniques, the options an angler has on a given outing number in the hundreds. And these possibilities are part of the freedom, fun, challenge, and ongoing learning associated with fishing.

How Will I Access the Water?

The simplest way to access the water for fishing is from shore via banks, beaches, docks, or piers. Wading, too, is an easy means of accessing waters. Cartop boats such as canoes, kayaks, belly boats, and aluminum rowboats open up even more places to fish, and a powered vessel, transported on a trailer, gives you access to larger rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Although I do most of my fishing from 14-foot and 17-foot aluminum boats during the year, I also spend a fair amount of time fishing from shore, wading streams, and paddling a canoe. More details on accessing fishing spots appear later in this chapter.

Where Will I Fish?

Although the grass sometimes appears to be greener on the other side of the fence, the odds are that some decent fishing exists in your own backyard. Fishing your home waters has two advantages: one is the minimal amount of time required to get there, and the other is the minimal cost of getting there. Near-home waters allow an angler to go fishing when he or she has only a few hours available, such as after work. The opportunity to fish on a workday adds fun to your day that would otherwise be lacking.

You should also consider the regional possibilities, places you can drive to within two hours or so from your home, as every region has some first-rate fishing waters. The investment of time and money is more than it would be when fishing at home, but the quality of the experience may outweigh the cost. Regional trips can be done in a day, but camping or getting a motel room allows for more fishing time. By extending your options to new fishing waters, you may discover a particular location, species, or type of fishing you like and want to pursue in the future. Also, any new angling experience will broaden your fishing knowledge and make you a better angler on your home waters.

A fishing vacation may be a financial luxury, but wherever vacations, business travel, or family visits take you, there will be fishing opportunities. Prior to such trips, do some research by visiting the state fish and game website, contacting the local chamber of commerce, or getting information from your local contact, whether it be a family member or host hotel. Once you arrive at the area, consider some on-site scouting by visiting fishing sites, marinas, and bait shops. If you take annual vacations or make annual visits to a particular location, you may want to adopt an away-from-home water. Even if travel doesn’t allow you to actually fish, take time to investigate the fishing in the area as that investigation will augment your angling knowledge; there will likely be some things you can transfer to your fishing waters back home.

What Species Will I Pursue?

Your targeted species of fish will be influenced by the waters on which you fish as well as your means of access. For the most part, though, anglers, particularly novices, pursue panfish and smaller game fish because these species offer advantages for the angler. For example, panfish and smaller game fish are found in most waters, populations are usually plentiful, simple gear and techniques are all that is needed, the fish are easy to catch, and there’s always the chance of hooking into a larger predator that is in the area feeding on the smaller fish. Pursuing smaller fish is an excellent way to develop basic skills such as casting, detecting bites, playing fish, landing fish, and handling fish. These same skills are used when dealing with larger fish such as Chinook salmon and northern pike.

Two exceptions exist for pursuing species other than panfish and small game fish. If a particular water is known for particular species of quality fish, catfish or walleyes for example, you may want to target that species. Also, if you have your heart set on catching a particular species such as lake trout, muskellunge, or striped bass, then you should do so by heading to a water that holds that species. See Chapters 18–23 for detailed information on over fifty common freshwater species.

Fishing Vocab

Bottom fishing is a basic and common technique that involves using a rig that is used for fishing on the bottom of a lake or river. Such rigs consist of a weight and a baited hook.

What Technique Will I Use?

Again, the technique used is tied to your means of access, where you fish, and the species you’re after. Both shore and boat anglers have the options of fishing with a bobber, bottom fishing, and casting lures. Boaters also have the options of anchoring, free drifting, controlled drifting, and trolling. At this point, just keep technique in the back of your mind, as Chapter 8 goes into detail on these various fishing methods.

Bodies of Water

North American anglers are blessed in that the continent boasts millions and millions of fish-holding waters. Not all waters are created equal from a fishing perspective, however, as waters vary in type and characteristics such as size, available species, fish abundance, access, and more.

Essentially, waters can be divided into two types: still and moving. The still waters consist of lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and pits, and, as the name suggests, these waters are standing rather than flowing. The moving waters consist of streams and rivers, and likewise these waters are flowing with some degree of current. Here’s a look at the types of fishing waters and their basic characteristics.

Natural Lakes

Natural lakes abound in North America as evidenced by Minnesota’s slogan, Land of 10,000 Lakes. No two lakes are completely identical, though, as variations exist in shape, size, depth, rock formations, fish species, aquatic vegetation, human development, and more. But lakes do share similarities with other lakes of the same age. Let me explain.

Real Fishing

What causes lakes to age? The obvious answer is human influences. Whereas nature may take hundreds of years to age a lake, mankind can create that same aging in just a generation or two.

Lakes are classified by their age, but the age is not a chronological one. Rather, age is based on water conditions such as fertility, temperature, depth, bottom content, and fish abundance. Lake ages include young (oligotrophic), middle age (mesotrophic), and old age (eutrophic). Since lakes don’t suddenly change from young to middle age or from middle age to old age, there are degrees of each age. For example, we could talk about early-stage oligotrophic, middle-stage oligotrophic, late-stage oligotrophic, and so on, but for our purposes, let’s look at the characteristics of the three basic lake ages.

Young, oligotrophic, lakes are primarily distributed throughout the eastern two-thirds of Canada and the very northeast corner of the United States. These lakes are characterized by cold water temperatures, infertility, lack of nutrients, significant depth, clear water, rock outcroppings, rock basin, steep drop-offs, minimal weeds, oxygen in deep water, low fish populations, and shorelines of spruce, pine, and white birch. Oligotrophic lakes hold cold-water species such as trout and whitefish.

Middle age, mesotrophic, lakes exist primarily east of the Rockies in Canada and across the northern United States. These lakes are characterized by rock, sand, gravel, shallow weed beds, slow-tapering shoreline, moderate fertility, nutrients, a thermocline, healthy fish populations, and a shoreline consisting of more hardwoods than spruce and pine. Mesotrophic lakes favor cool-water species such as walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, and even deep-water trout in their early stage, but these lakes may also be a home to largemouth bass and crappies.

Old age, eutrophic lakes appear throughout the United States east of the Rockies, especially in agricultural areas. These lakes are characterized by shallow depths, mucky bottoms, a dishpan shape, thick weed growth, high fertility, abundant fish populations, and a flat shoreline of hardwoods. Eutrophic lakes hold populations of bass, walleye, crappies, and bluegills in the early stage, but as the lake nears late stage those species give way to bullheads.

Once you learn how to catch fish on a lake of any given age, you should be able to catch fish on unfamiliar lakes of the same age.

Ponds

Millions of ponds exist across North America. Some are natural and others are man-made. Natural ponds are just smaller versions of lakes and can be classified, like lakes, by age. For example, mountain ponds tend to be oligotrophic, so they hold trout populations and lowland ponds tend to be mesotrophic or eutrophic so they typically hold populations of bass and sunfish. Man-made ponds are common on farms, where the ponds serve to enhance productivity by creating a watering hole, facilitating irrigation, or controlling erosion. No matter what the pond’s purpose is, these waters are excellent places for young and novice anglers because of accessibility and easy-to-catch species such as largemouth bass, bluegills, bullheads, and catfish.

Reservoirs

Reservoirs, sometimes called impoundments, are actually impounded bodies of water that are created by damming up rivers. A reservoir takes on the personality of the landscape along the river prior to the installation of a dam. For example, a reservoir created in a mountainous region will be long and narrow with steep slopes, and a reservoir created in flatland tends to be extremely wide with gradual slopes.

Reservoirs are much like natural lakes in that reservoirs can be classified by their age or fertility condition. Less fertile impoundments hold trout, and more fertile waters may hold everything from striped bass to bullheads.

But reservoirs differ from lakes in several ways as well. For one, reservoirs often see significant fluctuations in water level as water is either released from or poured into an impoundment, and these fluctuations stifle the weed growth that might otherwise occur in natural lakes. Also, impoundments may have some current flow particularly in their upper reaches. Too, impoundments may have subsurface man-made structures that existed along the river prior to damming and flooding. Such common structures include building foundations, roadbeds, riprap, and stone fences, all of which make excellent fish-holding habitat. Another unique feature of reservoirs is flooded timber, a favorite holding place of both baitfish and game fish such as largemouth bass and black crappies. Finally, all reservoirs contain the old riverbed, and except for very deep reservoirs, this riverbed makes for a natural travel corridor and fish-holding location.

Generally, reservoirs can be looked at in thirds. The upper third contains shallower water, less varied depth, sunken and above-water islands, and the major inlet or headwater. The middle third tends to be the widest portion of the reservoir, and this section typically has the most varied structure and offers the best fishing. The lower third, located just above the dam, has the steepest slopes and the deepest water.

Pits

Anglers don’t readily think of pits when looking for fishing places, but abandoned pits once used for the mining of coal or iron ore or once used for digging stone can make for good fishing destinations. Pits require fish stocking initially, and some pits are stocked on a regular basis; others are populated by natural reproduction as well as by stocking. Deep-water pits may hold trout, and the shallower pits commonly contain bass, crappies, and catfish.

Streams and Rivers

Streams and rivers are moving, flowing waters, and from a fish’s perspective, current translates to oxygenated water, food passing by, and out-of-the-current holding places. Streams and rivers exist in a variety of sizes and lengths. Like lakes, streams and rivers are characterized from young to old based on their environmental conditions. Young flows are those trout-holding mountain streams characterized by noticeable gradient, a rock streambed, limited nutrients, and low fish populations. Mature or middle-aged rivers contain slower, warmer, less clear, more meandering water that is home to species such as walleye, smallmouth bass, and northern pike. Old rivers are shallow, slow-flowing, warm, expansive waters that support largemouth bass, carp, and catfish.

Fishing Vocab

An eddy is a current that varies from the main current of a river or stream. Water obstructions cause these variants, which appear as whirlpools and make excellent fish-holding areas.

Streams and rivers, like lakes, have degrees of age. For example, we could have young streams in stages varying from infancy to the verge of adulthood, and we could have old rivers varying from just past middle age to very, very old. Also, a single stream or river may have varying ages as it flows from its headwaters to its mouth, where it empties into a larger water body. No matter what a river’s age, though, inhabiting fish love to hang out along current edges, eddies, and current breaks. (See Chapter 9 for information on locating fish in various waters.)

Pay-to-Fish Places

Unlike University of Auburn football games and Los Angeles Lakers basketball games, there are no admission fees for anglers taking to the water. Still, if your budget allows and you are so inclined, pay-to-fish places do exist. These places come in a variety of forms, but here’s a look at the two standard types.

The most common pay-to-fish option consists of heavily stocked ponds, where the angler pays a standard fee for each fish caught or for each pound of fish taken. Anglers must keep every fish caught as there is no catch and release. Common species in pay-to-fish ponds include trout and catfish, and anglers have the option of taking the fish home to clean or having their catch cleaned on-site for a set fee per fish. Some ponds may be restricted to fly-fishing only. Because pay-to-fish places want return customers, these businesses are clean, friendly, and well run.

The advantages of pay-to-fish ponds are:

They are good for youngsters and novices as the fish are usually easy to catch.

They are a lot more fun than going to the supermarket to buy fish for dinner.

The catch is fresh.

They offer a chance to enjoy the fishing and catching experience.

The disadvantages of pay-to-fish ponds are:

A cost is involved, although it is likely similar to the price of store-bought fish.

You might catch the fish too easily.

They offer less of a nature experience than fishing on a traditional pond, lake, stream, or river.

Another type of pay-to-fish place is where the pond, lake, section of stream, or section of river is privately owned, and the owner charges an access fee for shore fishing, wading, or launching a boat. Additional services may include a bait shop, fishing guides, lodging, and boat rentals. These waters may have natural fish reproduction, but the waters likely receive regular stockings, too, and a variety of species are commonly available.

Fishing Vocab

Creel limit refers to the number and/or size of fish that an angler may legally take in one day.

In contrast to the pay-to-fish ponds previously mentioned, these businesses do not charge a fee per fish caught or per pound of fish. Instead, they often have stricter rules than those set by the state or province. For example, some waters may be fly-fishing-only or catch-and-release-only others may have minimum lengths that exceed state regulations or maximum creel limits that are lower than state regulations. Owners of private waters want to offer their clients quality fishing, so the owners operate in a way to do just that. Because private waters see less pressure than public waters, anglers may find better fishing there. If your budget allows, there are no apparent disadvantages other than cost when fishing private waters.

North American anglers are blessed in having the option to fish public or private waters. In many countries, public fishing options are extremely limited and only the wealthy can afford the pay-to-fish places.

Accessing Fishing Waters

Anglers have four basic options for accessing fishing waters, and those choices are shore fishing, wading, using a small boat, or using a motorized boat.

Shore Fishing

Possibilities for fishing from shore are numerous, and they include, but are not limited to, community waterfront, public parks, public docks, fishing piers, boat ramps, marinas, campgrounds, bridges, dams, canals, waterfront businesses, break walls, walking paths, and roadside turnoffs. For the most part, there is no charge for accessing the water at public sites, but privately owned locations may or may not charge a fee for fishing from the waterfront.

Many communities and waters have fishing piers specifically designed for the physically challenged. When fisheries’ biologists are involved in the planning for such piers, you can bet they are constructed in a location that offers good shore fishing.

Shore fishing is an excellent way to go for novices and youngsters because panfish and small game fish commonly inhabit shoreline areas, and these fish readily strike worm-baited hooks suspended below a bobber or fished on a bottom rig. Also, fishing from shore allows youngsters the opportunity to have some fun exploring the surroundings. Spring is usually the best time for shore fishing because that’s when large concentrations of fish invade the shallows and tributaries in search of spawning habitat, warmer water, and food. Shore angling for panfish is particularly popular in springtime.

Fishing Vocab

Commonly called a life jacket or life vest, a PFD is a personal flotation device. PFDs come in a variety of styles and sizes, and it’s important to have a properly fitting PFD. Navigational regulations require that boats carry a PFD for each passenger on board, and in some cases youths under a certain age must wear the PFD while the boat is underway. Generally speaking, it’s always a good idea to have youngsters wear a PFD when around deep water.

Shore fishing is not limited to small fish, though. For example, largemouth bass spawn along shorelines, catfish move to the shallows in the evening to feed, northern pike cruise the shorelines in pursuit of prey, walleyes corral schools of baitfish along shorelines in autumn, and various trout and salmon species migrate to tributaries for feeding and spawning purposes. Prime shore-fishing spots are often characterized by such features as a tributary, adjacent deep water, an extending point, or a developing vegetation.

There are some ethics and safety rules of thumb for shore fishing.

Always verify that fishing is allowed at the site.

Always get permission before fishing on private waterfront.

Be courteous to other anglers, and avoid crowding them.

Leave the area cleaner than it was when you arrived.

Always put safety first.

If banks are steep or water is deep, consider wearing a PFD; at the very least, have youngsters wear their life jackets and have a flotation device handy.

When fishing near dams, honor the designated stay-back areas.

Be wary of slippery, moss-covered rocks.

Wading

For fly fishermen, wading is the standard means of accessing streams, but for some reason, wading is an approach typically overlooked by other anglers. Yet wading is an inexpensive means of expanding your fishing opportunities.

The main limitation to wading is water depth. Current flow, if it is too strong, can also be a deterrent. If the water is shallow enough, though, anglers can wade fish at most of the sites mentioned above for shore fishing. Wading allows an angler more mobility up and down the shoreline than standard shore fishing, and it also allows an angler to get the lure or bait out a greater distance. For example, a wader might be able to reach a weed line or drop-off that is unreachable from shore.

Minimal extra gear is needed for wading. During the summer months, anglers can wade in a pair of sneakers and shorts. Otherwise, hip boots or chest waders are the way to go. Hip boots are good for water depths up to mid-thigh, and chest waders are effective to depths up to mid-chest. Hip boots extend to the top of the thigh, and the boots are held up by straps that are attached to your belt. Chest waders extend to just below the arm pits, and these waders have suspenders to hold them in place. Some chest waders are booted, and others are of the stocking style so the boots must be purchased separately. The general rule for purchasing hip boots or waders is the same as purchasing most gear and that is to buy the best quality your budget can afford. If you’re going to wade in waters that are boulder strewn, have a moss-covered bottom, or have significant current flow, it’s wise to have studded soles.

Serious waders commonly acquire three additional pieces of gear:

A fishing vest to hold tackle and other items.

A wading staff for checking water depths before moving forward and for support when wading in trickier spots.

A pair of polarized glasses for spotting fish and getting a better view of subsurface features.

The first rule for waders is to take it slow. Carefully check the footing before taking that next step. Do enough wade fishing, however, and you will likely take a spill. In most cases, you can easily upright yourself because of the shallow depths. If the current sweeps you downstream, just go with the flow and keep your feet out in front for protection. Tight-fitting waders or those cinched with a belt prevent waders from filling up with water and make recovering from a spill much easier and safer.

Small Watercrafts of All Types

For our purposes, small boats are those watercrafts that can be carried on top of a car, in the bed of a pickup truck, or even in the trunk of a car. Common watercrafts include canoes, johnboats, kayaks, belly boats, kick boats, and inflatable rafts. Any one of these watercrafts serves to open up a variety of fishing opportunities for the angler.

Real Fishing

My younger son and I were recently checking out spots for spring bullhead fishing when we found an overgrown truck path that led to the water at a state park. The spot proved to be a good one, so when we returned the next evening, we brought a garbage bag and cleaned the area of rusty cans, plastics, and other nonbiodegradable items. Anglers, like campers, are advised to adopt the practice of leaving an area cleaner than it was when they arrived.

Canoes are typically lightweight and easy to transport, and their light weight makes them ideal for fishing trips that require portages. Also, their streamlined shape makes them ideal for travelling in moving waters, especially those that are boulder strewn. Canoes are powered by paddles, but square-backed canoes can handle a small gas-powered or electric motor. Side-mount brackets are also available for electric motors. Canoes do not handle well in strong winds or waves, so these crafts are better suited for small waters rather than larger, open ones. From a safety perspective, anglers are advised to do their fishing from a sitting position as canoes are most stable when there is a low center of gravity.

Johnboats, also spelled jonboats, come in various lengths, but we’re talking about the 12-foot ones here. Made of aluminum, johnboats have their origins in the meandering, shoal-laden rivers of the Ozarks, and the flat bottom, width, and shallow draft make these boats ideal for fishing small rivers and other protected waters. Power options for car-top johnboats include oars, electric motors, and small gas-powered outboards.

Kayaks are fast becoming a watercraft choice for anglers. Originally, kayaks were used for travelling along waterways, but because of the demand, manufacturers are making kayaks specifically designed for fishing. These crafts include such features as rod storage, rod holder, tackle storage, net holder, bait well, fish well, and more. Paddles provide power for kayaks, but some of the more advanced models also have the option of leg power via foot pedals.

Belly boats or, float tubes, are essentially inner tubes with a seat and two holes for the legs. These one-person crafts can be powered by oars, but the user usually provides power with a good set of swim fins. Generally used in warm water, belly boats make for an economical and easily transported means of accessing waters.

Kick boats are constructed of a pair of pontoon-style floats with a seat in the middle. These crafts are heavier, more expensive, and more difficult to transport and assemble than belly boats, but kick boats are easier to maneuver, and they provide a higher seat for easier fishing. Kick boats can be powered by oars or by kicking with fins.

Inflatable rafts vary in quality and are subject to punctures, but a raft’s light weight makes it ideal for fishing in remote trout ponds, where it might be too much of a chore to carry in heavier watercrafts.

The advantages of small watercrafts are:

Their cost fits most budgets.

They are relatively light and easy to handle.

They open up a variety of waters for an otherwise shore-bound angler.

They are fun to use.

They provide access to places larger boats cannot go.

They are ideal for making float trips down small rivers.

The disadvantages of small watercrafts are:

They hold only one or two anglers.

They must be used on small or protected waters.

They have limited angler maneuverability.

They have limited storage for gear.

Motorized Boats

Outboard engines power fishing boats, and most anglers use boats in the 14- to 21-foot range, although Great Lakes’ anglers use larger vessels. Fishing boats are constructed of aluminum or fiberglass. Aluminum boats are light, durable, and easy to transport, but they ride rough in whitecap conditions. Fiberglass crafts, on the other hand, are heavier to handle and transport, but they ride better in rough water conditions. Some owners trailer their boats to fishing sites, others dock their boats seasonally, and across much of the continent boats must be stored during the winter months.

A gas-powered boat opens up tremendous fishing options, so owning a boat is in the hearts of most anglers. Exceptions do exist, though. For example, some budgets may not allow for the purchase price, some anglers might be satisfied fishing trout streams, and some living quarters might not allow for boat storage, although in such cases off-site storage is available for a fee.

Bass boats are the most popular style of fishing boat. Designed for speed and fishing comfort, bass boats are powered by motors in the 100- to 250-horsepower range, and they are commonly equipped with electronics, trolling motor, pedestal seats for casting, rod storage, tackle storage, live well, and more. Bass boats typically have console steering and seating for two or maybe three persons, and they are extremely stable in the water.

Deep-V boats have, as their name suggests, a V-shaped design to their hull from front to stern. Such boats are popular among walleye anglers because the boats handle well in large, open waters. Either tiller or console steering is available, and serious walleye anglers usually have a kicker motor for trolling and better boat control. Because deep-V boats sit low in the water, they are not intended for use in shallow water.

Fishing Vocab

Some anglers place a kicker motor on their big-engine boats. A kicker is a small outboard motor used primarily for trolling, although it may also be used for boat control when casting or drifting. The kicker allows for slower speed and a quieter approach than the main outboard motor provides.

Semi-V and modified-V boats are also available. The semi-V has a V-shaped design in the front section so it rides better than a completely flat-bottomed boat. The semi-V adapts well to waters of various sizes. The modified-V is like the deep-V except that the angle is less sharp so the boat functions well in shallower water. Overall, the modified-V is both maneuverable and stable, making it a good choice for anglers.

The flat-bottomed boat, which is really a big johnboat, is ideal for calmer waters. This boat maneuvers easily and offers plenty of fishing room. A drawback of the flat-bottomed boat is that it rides rough in choppy water.

Pontoon boats are growing in popularity as fishing vessels, especially on lakes. The boat’s roominess can easily accommodate six or so anglers, and the size lends itself to a socializing style of fishing. Best suited for still fishing or drifting in quiet water conditions, pontoon boats do not handle that well in windy, rough conditions.

No matter what style of motorized boat an angler owns, it must be registered. When operating the boat, it is critical to abide by the weight and person limits as well as the horsepower limits listed on the boat’s capacity sticker. Also, all boats should be equipped with required safety gear as mandated by state, provincial, or federal regulations.